LOS ANGELES (AP) -No one's blaming Ron Artest this time.
On a night when Kobe Bryant couldn't find the basket, the superstar trusted the guy with the reputation for being a flake. Artest hit a huge 3-pointer with a minute to play on an assist from Bryant, keeping the Lakers ahead 79-73.
Soon, they were jumping into each other's arms in celebration.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Boston Celtics Playoff History
2010 - Beat Miami 4-1; Beat Cleveland 4-2; Beat Orlando 4-2; Lost to L.A. Lakers 4-3.2009 - Beat Chicago 4-3; Lost to Orlando 4-3.2008 - Beat Atlanta 4-3; Beat Cleveland 4-3; Beat Detroit 4-2; Beat L.A. Lakers 4-2. NBA Champions.2006-07 - Didn't mak
<< Casey, Micheel and De Jonge lead U.S. Open
Pebble Beach, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Casey, Shaun Micheel and Brendon de
Jonge each posted a two-under 69 on Thursday, squeezing enough good shots out
of tough Pebble Beach to share a one-stroke lead at the U.S. Open.
The famed seaside c
<< Glaus, Hudson power Braves to win over Rays
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy Glaus' two-run double in the sixth
inning was the difference as Atlanta nipped Tampa Bay, 3-1, in the finale of a
three-game interleague series at Turner Field.
Jason Heyward homered for the Braves
<< Podsednik's home run lifts Royals over Astros
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Podsednik turned the game around
with one swing, a three-run home run in the seventh inning, to lift Kansas
City to a 5-2 come-from-behind win over Houston in the rubber match of a
three-g
<< Kendrick strong as Phils take another from Yanks
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Kendrick pitched seven strong innings and
Shane Victorino hit a two-run homer off Yankees starter Andy Pettitte, as the
Philadelphia Phillies defeated New York, 7-1.
Kendrick (4-2) yielded an RBI sing
LA police declare unlawful assembly >>
LOS ANGELES (AP) -Los Angeles police have declared an unlawful assembly as hundreds of jubilant Los Angeles Lakers fans poured into the streets near Staples Center after the Lakers 83-79 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA finals.Po
Bryant, Jackson champions again; Lakers down Boston to claim NBA title >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant and the Lakers looked half-
asleep at times during their most important game of the season, but in the end
it was their suffocating defense that propelled them to a 83-79 Game 7 win
over th
Rowdy revelers surrounding cars after Lakers win >>
LOS ANGELES (AP) -Rowdy revelers are surrounding cars that are attempting to leave Staples Center and random fights and bonfires are breaking out near the arena.Television news footage showed several people jumping on a taxi Thursday night as it att
Rowdy revelers crowd streets after Lakers win >>
LOS ANGELES (AP) -Crowds of rowdy revelers poured into the streets around Staples Center after Game 7 of the NBA finals on Thursday night, rocking cars, setting bonfires and throwing rocks and bottles at officers.Nine people had been arrested for pu
Lakers win 16th NBA title; Jackson could return >>
LOS ANGELES (AP) -With his record 11th NBA championship secured, Phil Jackson was evasive about his future with the Los Angeles Lakers.He's in the final year of his contract, with no word about a possible extension. He had said that if the Lakers wo
Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.
As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.
Bet 2010 Super Bowl Odds
The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.
Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).
But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.
Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.
Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1
Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2
New York Giants - 9 - 2
Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).
Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.
So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.
And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.
They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.
Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.
But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.
Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.
Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.
Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.
Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?
Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.
In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.
Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.
Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.
The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.
The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.
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